An American priest named by Pope Francis as the Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor was among church officials who failed to report an abusive priest to law enforcement, according to a report.

The Reverend Robert Geisinger was the second-highest-ranking leader of the Chicago Jesuits in the 1990s when complaints were made against the Reverend Donald McGuire.

Geisinger knew of the complaints as early as 1995 and advised church officials as late as August 2002 on how to discipline McGuire, the Boston Globe reported, citing legal documents.

Court documents also show that abuse complaints against McGuire date back to the 1960s, but the Jesuits failed for years to tell police - and he went on to commit other acts of sexual abuse.

Reverend Robert Geisinger, pictured, has just been appointed as the Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor - but an investigation has found he was part of a group that failed to remove a high-profile sex offender

McGuire, the former spiritual adviser to Mother Theresa, was defrocked and is now in prison serving a 25-year sentence. He is considered one of the most influential figures convicted in the scandal.

Geisinger referred to the Vatican spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, who said Geisinger has a 'solid and proven record in child protection dating back nearly two decades'.

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Lombardi said that Geisinger had 'voiced concerns' about McGuire's conduct and was the canon lawyer who prepared the case that led to McGuire's dismissal from the clerical state.

'The Holy See fully expects Father Geisinger to continue to do an excellent job as Promoter of Justice, based on his prosecution record, his commitment to justice, and his concern for victims,' Lombardi told the Associated Press.

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, released a statement on Sunday urging Pope Francis to rescind the appointment of Geisinger as sex crimes prosecutor.

'Why on earth would Francis pick a priest with a problematic track record on abuse in the U.S. to deal with abuse worldwide?' Clohessy said. 'Why choose one who so clearly and repeatedly refused to call the law or tell the truth about a notorious, now-imprisoned serial predator?'

Bishop Charles Scicluna, Geisinger's predecessor as chief sex crimes prosecutor, or 'promoter of justice,' told the AP that Geisinger's previous work in the church as procurator general in Rome for the Jesuits was excellent. Geisinger took over in September.

'He is a fine canonist dedicated to serving as a very strong promoter of justice,' Scicluna said.

Reverend Timothy Kesicki, the president of the U.S. Jesuit Conference, also defended Geisinger.

Kesicki insisted that Geisinger only worked for the Chicago province for about 14 weeks, from late December 1994 through March 1995, as a temporary executive assistant and never again.

Geisinger had no governing authority and was tasked mainly with maintaining correspondence for his boss, said Kesicki.

After his brief stint in the province, Geisinger worked for the Chicago archdiocese and in 2001 moved to Rome to become the top canon lawyer for the Jesuits worldwide.

Locked up: McGuire, pictured being congratulated by nuns after initially being allowed to walk free after a 2007 hearing, is now serving 25 years behind bars. He was previously the spiritual adviser to Mother Theresa

Court documents show that while in Rome, in 2002, Geisinger advised the Chicago Jesuits about disciplining the priest, the Reverend Donald McGuire.

But the province only moved to dismiss McGuire after he was convicted in criminal court in 2006. Geisinger processed the paperwork and McGuire was defrocked within two months, the Vatican said.

'I hold him in the highest professional esteem,' Kesicki said of Geisinger. 'I believe he is one of the leading canonists in the church today, and most importantly, I believe he dedicated himself and uses the law for the protection of children and all vulnerable persons.'

Kesicki, who was provincial in Chicago from 2009 until July, and oversaw its $19 million settlement to McGuire's victims, acknowledged the Jesuits 'failed to do enough to respond' to McGuire's crimes.

A Wisconsin jury convicted McGuire of five counts of indecent behavior with a child in 2006, three years after two men came forward to report they were abused by McGuire in 1967 and 1968.

Defense: Pope Francis appointed Geisinger in September. The Vatican has come out in support of the priest

At the time, McGuire taught the boys at the Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The case helped pave the way for federal prosecution and the 25-year sentence against McGuire in 2008 on charges of traveling outside the U.S. and across state lines to have sex with a teenager.

Federal authorities alleged in court documents that McGuire sexually molested boys in their teens and men in their early 20s throughout the 1990s and up until 2003.

Last year, Jesuit officials agreed to pay $19.6 million to settle a lawsuit by six men who alleged they were abused by McGuire, according to the men's lawyer. The men, ranging in age from their 20s to 40s, said they were molested between 1975 and the early 2000s.